Nokia Lumia 520 review

Wired rating

Wired

Good build quality, decent screen, same processor as more
expensive Lumias, good range of Nokia add-ons, expandable storage,
low price

Tired

Camera's only so-so, no front-facing camera, Windows Marketplace
still playing catch-up with rivals

Price

£100

Nokia's Lumia series has been setting a pretty high standard for
smartphones recently. The 520 is cheapest of the bunch, but it
still manages to pack in a lot for a budget smartphone, in part
thanks to the Windows Phone 8 operating system.

It's on sale now for around £100.

Design
The 520 looks similar to other Lumias with its gently curving
sides and flat face covered entirely by a single sheet of
scratch-resistant glass (not Corning Gorilla Glass on this budget
model though). Unlike pricier Lumias like the 720 the polycarbonate cover isn't fixed and you can pull it off
to change the battery and access microSIM and microSD memory
cards.

Nokia Lumia 520

Nokia

While those pricier Lumias are often available in different
colours, the 520's removable back cover means you can change the
colour with your mood for a lot less than it costs to change your
phone -- you can choose between black, white, red, blue and yellow.
And with the ability to change the colour scheme of the Windows
Phone 8 operating system, you can switch that to match or clash
with your cover too.

The four-inch screen is a little smaller than the one on the 720
but it offers the same resolution -- 800x480 pixels, which since
it's a smaller screen actually offers a slightly higher resolution
of 235 pixels per inch (the 720's 4.3-inch screen offers 217 ppi).
You won't notice too much of a difference, but it's nice to know,
and even if the screen isn't up there with the best, it's still
gloriously bright, sharp and vibrant with rich colours and deep
blacks -- certainly better than it has a right to be at this price.
Also like those more expensive Lumias you can adjust the
sensitivity of the touchscreen, so you can work it with a
fingernail or while you're wearing gloves.

Features and performance
One of the standout points of the 520 is that it comes with the
same dual-core 1GHz processor backed by 512MB as you'll find on
both the more expensive 620 and 720 models. Admittedly, it doesn't have the same sort
of oomph as the big quad-core powerhouses, but operation is smooth,
with only a hint of delay when opening apps. Web pages display
quickly without jerkiness and HD games like Asphalt 7 Heat
work perfectly well too. It delivered an Antutu performance
benchmark rating of 6,595, which puts it slightly behind some other
dual-core Windows devices like the Lumia 720 and the HTC Windows 8S.

Downloading apps may not always be as easy as it is with
more expensive handsets -- the Wi-Fi aerial is noticeably less
powerful than the one on the Lumia 720

Nokia Lumia 520

Nokia

Windows
Phone 8 is bedding in nicely as an operating system, and once
you get used to its tile-based interface it's very easy to find
your way around and to customise. You can now adjust the size of
the tiles and some are dynamic, so the Weather tile will give you
the basics without having to press it, and People shows a
constantly shifting mosaic of your contacts' profile pictures.
They're not as detailed as some of the Android widgets but then
they show a lot more than Apple's icons -- it's a neat compromise
between the two.

Apps and software
The Windows Marketplace is improving, even though it lags well
behind its rivals in terms of sheer numbers. Still, you'll find
many favourites there including Spotify, Netflix and Skype.
However, downloading apps may not always be as easy as it is with
more expensive handsets -- the Wi-Fi aerial is noticeably less
powerful than the one on the Lumia 720 for instance.

Nokia has added much of its usual fleet of extras as standard,
including HERE Maps with its range of views including standard,
satellite, public transport and traffic maps. You can download maps
for free and use them with HERE Drive turn-by-turn satnav, even
when you don't have a Wi-Fi or network connection -- only for UK
and Ireland though, you'll need to splash for a higher-up Lumia to
get the international maps for free. There's no sign of the nifty
City Lens app which shows local businesses and points of interest
displayed on your camera's viewfinder -- you'll need the 620 or
higher for that. Nokia
Music is all here though, with free downloadable playlists of
ad-free popular tunes (up to 14 hours) and the Microsoft Office
suite lets you create and edit Word and Excel documents.

Nokia Lumia 520

Nokia

Camera quality
The five-megapixel camera is the same as the one on the 620, if a
notch or two below the 6.7 megapixel number on the 720. It has
autofocus, an LED flash and a large F2.4 aperture to let in more
light but it does without the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens that appears
on more expensive Lumias from the 720 up. You can however add any
of the Lenses that Nokia makes available to beef-up its camera
offering. These are downloadable pieces of software that add extra
functionality such as Panorama for wide-view shots, Cinemagraph,
which allows you to add moving elements to still pictures, and Bing
Vision, which lets you scan barcodes and QR codes as well as books,
CDs and DVDs.

If you want to try Windows, but don't want to risk too
much cash, the 520 will give you the flavour without the
expense

Picture quality's pretty good considering the spec, and it's
perfectly good enough for quick snaps when you're out and about.
The video camera drops the resolution to 640x480 pixels but there's
no front-facing camera, which could be a deal-breaker if you like
to make video calls -- if that's what you're into you'll need to
step up to the 620 or beyond.

There's 8GB of memory on board as standard, but you can add up
to 64GB via microSD card if you feel the need.

The battery's not as powerful as the fixed models on the more
expensive models and it won't provide the same length of
performance. Still, you'll get at least a day's normal use out of
it, which puts it on a par with plenty of more expensive
handsets.

Conclusion
It has a fine screen, a fast processor and like other Lumias it's
built to last. If you want to try Windows, but don't want to risk
too much cash, the 520 will give you the flavour without the
expense and deliver just as good a performance as some of its more
expensive cousins. In fact, if you're not too fussed about the
camera (which still isn't bad) or Skype video calls it's better
value for money than either the 620 or the 720.